House explosion kills Princeton resident

A 61-year-old man was killed in an explosion on Ball Hill Road in Princeton this morning. The fire occurred moments after a neighbor walking by reported hearing a large explosion in the house.

Although officials have not yet confirmed the victim's name, neighbors say Rick Conway had been living in the house that belonged to his mother, who recently moved to a nursing home.

A car and a tractor-trailer rig, which neighbors said belonged to Conway, were still parked in the driveway at 140 Ball Hill Road this morning as firefighters arrived at the house.

The explosion blew the front part of the house away, and heavy smoke and flames continued to pour from the structure at noon.

Acting Fire Chief John Bennett, who lives about two minutes from the home, was first on the scene and said the building was already engulfed in flames when he arrived.

"We believe this was some sort of gas explosion," Chief Bennett said.

The front picture window was blown out and was sitting in the front yard, the chief said. Windows on the rear of the house were blown into the backyard.

There were no oxygen tanks found in the house as neighbors had previously reported, the chief said. One propane tank was located outside the house, but had not exploded, the chief said. Another propane tank and an oil tank were inside the home. Officials are still looking for the cause of the explosion.

Officials said a body was found near the rear of the house in an office.

Firefighters were called out of the structure at one point, when it was determined the floors had become unstable.

Neighbors said Conway worked as a truck driver and was usually there only on weekends. He has lived alone there since his mother moved away, they said.

Firefighters from Sterling, Holden, Westminster and Hubbardston assisted. They had to break the ice on a nearby pond to pump water. State Fire Marshal Stephen D. Coan was also on the scene.